Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Updated Filing received by DOL
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a manufacturing — chemical, wood, plastics employer in Rahway, New Jersey, reported 33,399 participants in its health and welfare plans for plan year 2024. Its Form 5500 shows $11M in insurance premiums across 19 contracts and $402,829 in broker commissions and fees. The plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. The Department of Labor received the filing on October 6, 2025, within the extension window.
Who was paid on Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC's plan
Schedule A, Part I lists each broker or agent paid on each insurance contract and the amount. Totals below add every contract Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC filed for 2024.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Resources dba Strategic Non · Atlanta, GA | $184,968 | $58,647 | $243,615 | 1 |
| Mercer · Chicago, IL | $85,610 | $0 | $85,610 | 3 |
| Buck · Dallas, TX | $63,479 | $10,125 | $73,604 | 1 |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, Part I (broker commissions and fees), plan year 2024, as published in EBSA's 2024 "Latest" dataset. Part I names whoever the carrier paid, which can be a firm or an individual agent; both are public record. Amounts exclude pay from carriers not tied to a listed contract.
Insurance contracts and carriers
Every insurance contract reported on Schedule A: carrier, what it covers, people covered at year end, earned premium, and broker compensation.
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, plan year 2024. Self-funded medical coverage has no premium; amounts shown for it are stop-loss or administrative contracts.
How Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC compares
Medians across employers for plan year 2024, the most recent complete year. Commission rates use fully insured medical contracts only; dollar medians use every employer that disclosed broker pay.
Not computable: no insured medical premium on the filing.
Source: BenefitsLedger benchmarks from 58,547 employer health plans with 100 or more participants, plan year 2024. Methodology.
Year over year
| 2023 | 2024 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | 32,140 | 33,399 | +3.9% |
| Premiums filed | $11,160,080 | $11,396,616 | not comparable |
| Broker commissions + fees | $349,229 | $402,829 | +15.3% |
| Commission rate | — | — | — |
Source: DOL Form 5500 filings for plan years 2023 and 2024.
Filings and timeliness
Plans this employer filed under its EIN with a health benefit code. Large plans are due seven months after the plan year ends, or two and a half months later with an extension; amended filings carry the amendment date, so no timing is asserted for them.
| Plan | Plan year end | Received by DOL | Timing | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merck Medical, Dental, Life Insurance and Long Term Disability Plan#502 · insurance, general assets | December 31, 2024 | October 6, 2025 | within extension | 33,399 |
| Merck Other Group Benefits Plan#501 · insurance, general assets | December 31, 2024 | October 6, 2025 | within extension | 29,742 |
| Merck Retiree Medical Plan#570 · insurance, general assets, trust | December 31, 2024 | October 6, 2025 | within extension | 19,122 |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Part I and signature dates; "late" means received after the extended deadline (the 15th day of the tenth month after plan year end). What a late Form 5500 costs.
How much did Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2024?
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC's 2024 Form 5500 reports $402,829 in broker commissions and fees across 19 insurance contracts ($334,057 in commissions, $68,772 in fees), with Pacific Resources dba Strategic Non receiving the largest share.
Is Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC's health plan self-funded or fully insured?
The 2024 filing indicates the plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. Medical coverage is written by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, HMSA - Blue Cross Blue Shield of Hawaii.
How does Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC's broker compensation compare with similar employers?
A commission-to-premium ratio cannot be computed for Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC because the filing does not report medical premium on Schedule A (usual for self-funded plans). In dollars, employers with 5,000+ participants that disclosed broker pay reported a median of $458,262.
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Record built October 24, 2026 from U.S. Department of Labor, EBSA Form 5500 datasets (2025, 2024, 2023 plan years, 'Latest' files). Filings can run 7 to 10 months behind the plan year; always confirm against current plan documents. BenefitsLedger is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor. Open the DOL filing search.